Posted: July 26th, 2022

Behavior Change Assignment

1. Begin the introduction section by reviewing at least 3 studies that examine the association between that health behavior and physical health, disease, mortality, etc. (see behavior change assignment 1). These are the first three articles you reviewed for the first assignment. (30 pts)
2. What ways have been studied to modify this behavior? What interventions have been examined in the previous literature? Review at least 3 studies that examine the effect of an intervention on health behavior. These are the second three articles you have already reviewed to design your intervention. (30 pts)
3. End your introduction section with a paragraph briefly summarizing your current study in general terms. Be sure to state what hypothesized effects (e.g. increase, decrease) will your intervention have on your target behavior. (20 pts)
4. Begin the method section by briefly describing the participant (yourself). Next describe how you measured your behavior (i.e. your behavioral coding system) for each phase of the project: baseline and intervention. Then describe your intervention be sure to include enough detail so that someone else could replicate your study. (40 pts)
5. Results section: Report means for baseline and intervention phases (30 pts). Get custom essay samples and course-specific study resources via course hero homework for you service – Include a figure or graph that depicts your results (10 pts). The text of this section will be very brief.
6. Begin the discussion section by summarizing your findings and placing them in context. How effective was the intervention? Based on your data, did it have the hypothesized effect on your target behavior? Describe other external (peer pressure/social support, life stressors, environmental constraints) or internal (personality, coping, sense of control, other health issues) factors that may have influenced your results. What would you do differently next time? (20 pts)
7. Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discuss your results in relation to the pervious studies in the literature– be specific. How was your experience similar or different? Why? (20 pts)
8. Get custom essay samples and course-specific study resources via course hero homework for you service – Include a brief discussion of generalizability: would your intervention work for someone else? Why or why not? What traits, resources, characteristics, etc. are important? (10 pts)
9. Paper should be in Ace homework tutors – APA format throughout (30 pts)
Your paper should include a:
• title page (NO ABSTRACT NECESSARY)
• introduction (summary of literature on the implications of the target behavior for health and disease, and a review of literature on interventions designed to change this behavior)
• method (description of how you measured target behavior, outcome and a detailed description of intervention used)
• results (baseline and intervention means or frequencies; figures and descriptions; NO STATISTICAL TESTS ARE NECESSARY)
• discussion (conclusions about effectiveness of intervention, recommendations for future)
• References (Ace homework tutors – APA format).
• Figure with caption, formatted correctly

Behavior Change Assignment
Experts have severally proved that different individual health behaviors closely relate to our health. One of such behaviors is fruit and vegetable intake (De Leon et al., 2020). Several studies widely accept that fruits and vegetables are crucial to day-to-day lifestyle and positively affect personal health (Agudo, 2020). The primary merit of consuming the proper number of fruits and vegetables is that the activity is a proactive measure of combating several diseases. Most importantly, scientists associate this activity with reducing exposure to the most prevalent conditions today, such as diabetes, blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obesity.
Additionally, the activity has improved health, including better vision and maintaining proper health status. Spinach, collards, and kales are excellent eyesight boosters (Agudo, 2020). The features that enable the two to accomplish such advantages are that they are rich in minerals such as potassium and vitamin C. they are also a good source of dietary fiber, which is considered an excellent remedy to digestion problems such as constipation (De Leon et al., 2020). Dietary fiber is also a great player in minimizing bowel cancer risks.
On the other hand, insufficient fruit and vegetable intake has been linked with increased risks of contracting several chronic diseases (Hodder et al., 2020). Research has shown that a low intake of fruits and vegetables leads to three percent of global deaths. It means approximately 1.7 million people. Additionally, 9 percent of stroke, 14 percent of gastrointestinal cancer, and 11 percent of ischaemic heart disease deaths have resulted from insufficient fruit and vegetable intake (Hodder et al., 2020). Therefore, low intake is one of the factors leading to the worldwide burden of noncommunicable diseases.
Assignment #1
Interventions of Coping with Low Fruits and Vegetable Intake
One of the interventions that contribute to increasing the amount of fruit and vegetable consumption is starting small and growing gradually. It may mean including fruit in your favorite dishes. Another effective activity is substituting a usual side item with a vegetable or fruit (Głąbska, 2020). Instead of using a typical side item with high sugar or salt composition, replacing them with an easy and tasty fruit like an orange, apple, or green beans is healthy.
Centering a meal around a fruit or vegetable is also effective in boosting their intake. The vegetable will no longer be a side item since it will be incorporated into the main meal. Recipes that can support this activity include spinach quiche, spaghetti squash, and a black bean burger (Davis et al., 2021). Another effective way to intervene in fruit and vegetable consumption is ringing them as on-the-go snacks. An example is bringing an apple with natural nut butter (Agudo, 2020). Starting a garden is also helpful since it can help get fruits without too much hassle.
Scientists suggest that one should consume at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables per day (Hodder et al., 2020). In this study, I will examine whether I reach the scientific suggestion of daily fruit and vegetable consumption. If I am currently taking less than the scientific threshold, I find these interventions helpful in increasing the number of fruits and vegetables I now consume.
Assignment #2
Method
Several people ignore the number of fruits and vegetables they take (Głąbska, 2020). I am one of such people, making it easy to fail to reach the recommended intake amount. In several instances, I like carrying snacks such as biscuits, sausages, and soft drinks during most activities, such as road trips and resting time. Therefore, this observation has been an indicator that I am most likely to miss the scientific threshold of fruits and vegetable intake.
One common way to determine these foods intake is the food frequency questionnaires (FFQs). The method involves creating a food list after a 24-hour diet recall study, categorizing food items, and assigning food frequency intake and portion size. This method helped me group the foods classified as fruits and vegetables. Also, the food diary method helped me keep a proper record of the rate at which I consumed the two foods.
Since the recommended size of 400 grams intake is likened to five cups of the foods, I started by finding out what makes up one portion of the cups (Davis et al., 2021). The intake rate was recommended by the World Health Organization and was named five a day initiative (Agudo, 2020). Some of the easy options I found are one piece of apple and one piece of banana from one portion each. Additionally, I looked for other foods that were readily made containing specific amounts of the five-a-day portions. Another essential step I learned is that a handful or tablespoonful measurement would be effective for vegetables. A tablespoonful would represent one unit of cooked vegetables. After understanding what foods would contain the five-a-day portions, I began to record the foods I ate each day for ten days without altering my usual diet.
Before applying intervention practices, the food I consumed contained the 5-a-day portions listed in figure 1.
Day Portions contained in each meal Total portions
Day 1 Breakfast; Pancakes-1 portion
Lunch; Two bananas-2 portions
Dinner; N/A 3
Day 2 Breakfast; Blackcurrant Bircher muesli-3 portions
Lunch; Carrots-1 portion
Dinner; 3 tablespoons of cooked beans-3 portions 7
Day 3 Breakfast; Banana and toast wrap-1 portion
Lunch; N/A
Dinner; 3 tablespoons of green spinach-3 portions 4
Day 4 Breakfast; 1 banana-1 portion
Lunch; 1 banana-1 portion
Dinner; 2 apples-2 portions 4
Day 5 Breakfast; Pancakes-1 portion
Lunch; Two tablespoons of cooked beans-2 portions
Dinner; 1 apple-1 portion 4
Day 6 Breakfast; N/A
Lunch; 2 tablespoons of cooked beans and green kales-4 portions
Dinner; 2 oranges-2 portions 6
Day 7 Breakfast; 1 banana-1 portion
Lunch; 1 banana-1 portion
Dinner; 2 apples-2 portions 4
Day 8 Breakfast; Toast and banana wraps-1 portion
Lunch; 2 mangoes-2 portions
Dinner; 3 tablespoons-3 portions 6
Day 9 Breakfast; Yoghurt with berries- 1 portion
Lunch; Roast vegetable salad-3 portions
Dinner; 2 bananas-2 portions 6
Day 10 Breakfast; N/A
Lunch; Asparagus ricotta pizza-1 portion
Dinner; Avocado-1 portion 2

Before implementation of the intervention

Figure 1: bar graph representation before intervention

Assignment #3
The data showed that the number of 5-a-day portions I consumed was inconsistent. I reached the threshold in some cases, while the intake amount was too low in others. Therefore, I decided to implement the intervention method to ensure that each meal contained at least one portion of the five. I found blending the main meal with at least one portion practical. Additionally, I decided to replace most of my snacks with fruits. It helped me reach the minimum requirement easily since most fruits form one portion. Therefore, eating two fruits at the same time was helpful. However, sometimes it became difficult to remember to include fruits during every meal. After the intervention application, I consumed the five-a-day portions, as shown in figure 2.
Day Portions contained in each meal Total portions
Day 1 Breakfast; Toast and banana wraps-1 portion
Lunch; 2 mangoes-2 portions
Dinner; 3 tablespoons-3 portions 6
Day 2 Breakfast; Blackcurrant Bircher muesli-3 portions
Lunch; Carrots-1 portion
Dinner; 3 tablespoons of cooked beans-3 portions 7
Day 3 Breakfast; Cinnamon porridge and 2 bananas-2 portions
Lunch; Butternut squash falafel-2 portions
Dinner; Vegetable spaghetti Bolognese-3 portions 7
Day 4 Breakfast; Blackcurrant Bircher muesli-3 portions
Lunch; Carrot and hummus wraps-1 portion
Dinner; Blackcurrant Bircher muesli-3 portions 7
Day 5 Breakfast; Blackcurrant Bircher muesli-3 portions
Lunch; Carrots-1 portion
Dinner; 3 tablespoons of cooked beans-3 portions 7
Day 6 Breakfast; Banana porridge-1 portion
Lunch; Egg mayo rolls and an apple-2 portions
Dinner; 2 bananas-2 portions 5
Day 7 Breakfast; Fruit omelette-2 portions
Lunch; Mushroom soup and an apple-2 portions
Dinner; Spring chicken with vegetables-3 portions 7
Day 8 Breakfast; Cinnamon porridge and 2 bananas-2 portions
Lunch; Butternut squash falafel-2 portions
Dinner; 2 tablespoons of spinach and an apple-3 portions 6
Day 9 Breakfast; Banana smoothie-2 portions
Lunch; Beans and avocado-2 portions
Dinner; Spinach pasta bake-2 portions 6
Day 10 Breakfast; Blackcurrant Bircher muesli-3 portions
Lunch; Carrot and hummus wraps-1 portion
Dinner; Blackcurrant Bircher muesli-3 portions 7

Figure 2: bar graph representation after intervention

Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion
The intervention helped me consistently attain the minimum fruit and vegetable consumption requirement. Therefore, it is proper to conclude that the intervention steps I took were practical. Self-disciplining played a significant role in helping me accomplish the intervention techniques. Also, I had a goal of accomplishing the threshold requirement, which helped me closely follow the intervention recommendations. Anybody can successfully increase the amount of fruit and vegetable intake by following the intervention method I used since it is simple. After conducting this project, I realized that following the intervention is practical and becomes more memorable with time. Therefore, researchers’ recommendations to include fruit and vegetable portions in each meal leads to satisfying results. Replacing snacks with fruits is also an effective way to increase the amount of fruit and vegetable intake

References
Agudo, A. (2020). 2020 – WHO | world health organization. Measuring Intake of Fruits and Vegetables. Retrieved June 25, 2022, from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/332070/9789240005105-eng.pdf
Davis, J. N., Pérez, A., Asigbee, F. M., Landry, M. J., Vandyousefi, S., Ghaddar, R., … & Van Den Berg, A. E. (2021). School-based gardening, cooking, and nutrition intervention increased vegetable intake but did not reduce BMI: Texas sprouts-a cluster randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 18(1), 1-14. https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-021-01087-x
De Leon, A., Jahns, L., & Casperson, S. L. (2020). Barriers and facilitators to following the dietary guidelines for vegetable intake: Follow-up of an intervention to increase vegetable intake. Food Quality and Preference, 83, 103903. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329319307992
Głąbska, D., Guzek, D., Groele, B., & Gutkowska, K. (2020). Fruit and vegetable intake and mental health in adults: a systematic review. Nutrients, 12(1), 115. https://www.mdpi.com/607868
Hodder, R. K., O’Brien, K. M., Tzelepis, F., Wyse, R. J., & Wolfenden, L. (2020). Interventions for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in children aged five years and under. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (5). https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD008552.pub7/abstract

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